


What's in a Drummer?

by orphan_account



Series: What's in a Drummer? [1]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gen, Multi, idk what to tag, super irregular updates because i dont write very chronologically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22323580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Maya freaks out over something Chisato says, the newly formed Pastel Palettes is left without a drummer. Simultaneously, rich girl Kokoro encounters Kanon and stops her from donating her drumkit, inspiring Kanon’s forgotten passion for music.With a lot of help from their friends, both Kanon and Maya find out what it means to be in a band.(AU where Kanon and Maya are swapped - Kanon is a member of Pastel Palettes and Maya is a member of Hello Happy World)
Relationships: Hikawa Hina/Wakamiya Eve, Kitazawa Hagumi/Okusawa Misaki, Matsubara Kanon & Pastel Palettes, Matsubara Kanon's Brother/Okusawa Misaki's Sister, Matsubara Kanon/Shirasagi Chisato, Seta Kaoru/Yamato Maya, Yamato Maya & Hello Happy World, Yamato Maya & Pastel Palettes
Series: What's in a Drummer? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761190
Comments: 15
Kudos: 45





	1. Birth of an Idol?

In her seventeen years of life, Maya Yamato had never been so social as she had this past week. As a nerdy studio musician who mostly hung out with her own equipment, people were a hard task. 

She's never had friends before, just people she's seen at her part time job in the idol agency or acquaintances in the theater program at school. But that all changed when she was tasked to give music lessons to four beautiful idol girls. 

She knew Aya-san already. Aya had been training at the agency for three years now, and the two of them were good acquaintances. They might’ve even been friends, had they not been at different schools. Aya works incredibly hard and was always smiling. 

Chisato-chan was a child prodigy and renowned actress. She became nationally famous at merely six years old, and had fans all over. Maya had seen a couple movies featuring her. They weren't particularly good, but she had to admit they'd be a lot worse without Chisato. 

The youngest girl was a local model named Eve. She was from Finland and has a hard time fitting in, but also has a lot of respect for Japanese culture. She's extremely sweet and beautiful, and Maya is glad to work with her. She's the only person that pays attention when Maya goes off on a tangent about technical equipment or music theory or whatever. 

And then there's Hina Hikawa. She's… interesting. Hina-san goes to Maya’s school and is fairly popular. She hangs out with Kaoru, one of the only people Maya considered a true friend. Apparently Hina is insanely good at everything she picks up. 

Simply put, Maya was surrounded by talent on all sides. Well, only two sides right now, because only Eve and Hina are standing beside her. Chisato is chatting with some agency staff on the other side of the room while Aya practices her idol poses in the corner. 

Maya is explaining how her amplifier pedal works to the remaining two girls. Well, one girl. Hina-san is a bit preoccupied staring at Eve, but neither of them seem to even realize it. That's fine, Maya thinks. That's perfectly valid. 

“This is so cool! You're so smart, Maya-chan!” Eve says energetically. Her eyes are absolutely glowing. 

“Aw, you're too kind. I'm just glad I've got someone to listen to me ramble, y’know.”

“Maya-san?” she hears Chisato call from across the room.

“Ahh! Coming!” Maya shouts back. She turns to Hina and Eve. “Sorry, guys. I'll be right back. Don't break anything!”

Eve assures her that they would be careful with the equipment, and Maya walks briskly over to where Chisato is discussing something with a few staff members. 

“Hello, Maya-san. We were discussing your job here as the temporary music teacher. As you know, you'll have to move on to other groups eventually,” one of the staff says. 

Maya bites her tongue to keep from verbally panicking. Are they really getting rid of her already? She was just starting to get used to other people. It can't be over yet! 

“You look a bit stressed, Maya-san. Don't worry, you aren't being canned. We actually wanted to discuss a long term position in the band.”

Long term... in the band? Maya has a really bad feeling about this. But Chisato smiles nonchalantly, as if her next words weren't about to shatter Maya’s brain. 

“Could you take off your glasses for a second?”

Maya feels her heart stop, but a second later she can feel the beating resume in her chest as she lifts her glasses off her face. “L-like this?

“Just like I thought. You're beautiful.” 

“I-I’m really not!” Maya says, panicking. This can't be happening. Why does Maya feel like this? Why does she feel like she knows what happens next? 

“Nonsense. Of course you are,” Chisato insists. 

“I--”

“That's why I'm sure of this decision.” Chisato looks her fiercely in the eyes. “Maya, would you like to be a part of Pastel Palettes?”

Something in Maya’s heart shatters. As much as she wants to be their drummer, she knows it can never happen. She’s no idol. There’s no reason for her to be an idol. She’s just a studio musician who got lucky. And before Maya even realizes it, she's already running from the room. 

“I-- I'm sorry!”


	2. Drumkit Donation Debate

Kanon would like to think her day was going pretty normally. 

She was pulling her brother’s sticker-covered wagon behind her, stopping every thirty seconds to make sure none of the parts of her drumkit were falling out. Perfect time to be stopped by the local crazy rich and also plain crazy freshman from your school to have an abnormally emotional conversation about your menagerie of blue percussion instruments. You know, everyday stuff. 

The conversation started tame enough, actually. “Hey, whatcha got there?” 

Kanon hears a voice behind her and turns to see Kokoro Tsurumaki, the energetic daughter of one of the wealthiest businessmen in the area. 

“Oh! Um, this is my drumkit from middle school…” 

Kanon doesn't particularly like talking to people she doesn't know well, but it's a lot more anxiety-inducing to ignore chatty strangers. 

“What? You're dragging all those pieces behind you, though. Shouldn't drums safe be at home?” Kokoro asks. “You're in a band, right? Your band mates would be sad if your drums got hurt.”

“Oh, um, I'm donating these, actually!”

“Donating? That's a fancy way of saying ‘getting rid of,’ right?”

“I…” As blunt as that was, Kanon has to admit she's kinda right. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“Well, why would you do that?”

“Um, because… I haven't played them in a while, so I figured if I give them away, some other person might be really happy to have them…”

“Are you not happy with your drums?” Kokoro asks. She seemed almost worried. 

Kanon pauses. “Not... necessarily. I haven't had the chance to play them lately, but they did make me happy back in middle school. I was in a band then.” 

“Ooh!” Kokoro jumps. “That's great! You just need a new opportunity then!”

“I'm giving someone else an opportunity, though. I want to make someone happy with these drums.”

Kokoro thinks about it for a moment. “If you give away your drums, maybe you'll make one person happy. And that's really good! But it'll come at the cost of your own happiness. So the amount of happy in the world stays the same. But if you keep your drums and use them to make happy music, you can make the world smile!”

Kanon nods. “Oh… Yes, that's a good idea, but can't the next person to have my drums do something like that?”

“Who’s to say the next person will use them like that? Who's to say there'll even be a next person? For all we know, your drums could rot away in a Goodwill somewhere.”

A sharp pain stabs Kanon’s heart as she considers the likely possibility that her drums would be locked in the depths of charity storage, never to be seen again. That would break her heart. 

These drums were her lifeline three years ago. It wouldn't be fair to let them go after so long, after so many memories Kanon made with her middle school band. Despite having been the newest member by far, she cared so much about the other girls. How could she just throw away their wishes like that? 

“I think if something is to be done, it's best to do it yourself,” Kokoro adds. Satisfied with her own words, she cartwheels away without waiting for a response. 

Kanon watches in shock until Kokoro goes around a corner and can't be seen anymore. She isn't sure what to think about the strange conversation they just had. Maybe Kokoro really is crazy, maybe she's spewing gibberish that just happens to touch Kanon’s heart. But the idea of her precious drumkit sitting there, collecting dust… Kanon can't allow it. Slowly, she turns around and walks home, dragging the wagon behind her. 


	3. Down to Earth

The theater club’s storage room is oddly comforting to Maya. Generally speaking, this is where she comes to calm down when she's stressing over something. 

Thursday had been rough. She totally left Chisato hanging. Maya feels disappointed in herself for not even managing to give a proper response, but oh well. Nothing to be done about it now. 

But as she reflects on her own mistakes, others are brought to light as well. Does Chisato really have a right to try to recruit Maya? And the agency staff, shouldn't they be making the decisions? They should've been able to find a drummer in the first place. Maya wasn't solely responsible for the fiasco.

Chisato just wanted the band to be able to continue, Maya thinks. It might be a little mean to pin Chisato as the type of person to think primarily of her own career, but everything Maya had seen from her really made it seem that way. 

Besides, she really isn't that pretty. Maybe Maya was a fine musician, but there was more to being an idol than--

“Maya-san.”

Maya shrieks in surprise and turns to see who is behind her, nearly falling over in the process. “Hu- Ah- Kaoru-san!”

Kaoru catches her gently. “You should be more careful, little kitten. Anyway, I must discuss with you something Hina told me.”

Maya’s mind is a little overwhelmed by the fact Kaoru's arms are wrapped around her waist, but she manages to process Hina’s name. “Oh, Hi-Hikawa-san? What does she…?”

“Do not fret, my dear. It is nothing meant to stress you. But it would be better discussed somewhere else, I think.”

Glancing around at the various props on the floor, the general mess of materials on the tables, Maya has to agree. “Okay. Where should we go?” 

Kaoru silently pulls Maya to her feet and leads her out of the storage room. They go down a few hallways, past a couple of classrooms, a few more hallways, through a mini cafeteria. Has Haneoka always been this big of a school? But Maya feels reassured by Kaoru's hand squeezing against her own, and allows herself to be dragged to wherever they needed to be. 

Eventually, the two make it outside and toward a parking lot Maya is sure she's never seen before. A limousine sits ominously in the middle, as if watching them. There were a few other cars around, but the limousine had the most powerful energy out of everything in this mostly empty lot. 

Of course, Kaoru pulls Maya toward the creepy limousine. If anyone besides Kaoru was doing this, Maya was pretty sure she'd think she's being sex trafficked. But she trusts Kaoru. 

The ride to wherever they're going is spent in comfortable silence. Maya doesn't feel awkward around Kaoru like she does around other people. Kaoru understands her. They don't need to talk constantly to have a good time. 

Eventually, the short break is over. Kaoru leads Maya out of the limousine and they're back to running like the wind again. Through a courtyard, in a hallway, past some statues of historical figures. They must be in some kinda mansion now. 

Suddenly Maya is standing in a huge dining hall that looked like it was straight out of a rich person magazine. In front of Maya is a short, ginger girl about Maya’s own age, whom Kaoru steps forward to join. 

Kaoru bows and puts her arms to the side like she's presenting a magnificent gift. “This is Hagumi. She's one of my sweetest kittens and I'm sure you will get along with her.”

Hagumi grins. “Hello, Maa-kun! I've heard so much about you and I'm so glad to finally meet you!” 

“Maa-kun?” Maya asks, laughing nervously. 

“Yep! That's you!” Hagumi says excitedly. Then her face gets really worried. “Do you like the nickname? It's okay if not. If you don't want--”

“No, it's okay! I've just never had a nickname before, haha,” Maya replies. “I like it a lot.” Hagumi nods silently, satisfied that she picked a good one. 

“Well, I'm glad you two are getting along so swimmingly. But we have an important matter on our hands that demands our utmost attention,” Kaoru declares. 

“Ah, what would that be?” Maya asks in response. She already has a feeling, though…

“You're stressed about the idol agency. My dear friend Hina told me so. One of the band members suggested you join them, did she not? The very idea of it intimidates you. But don't fret. You don't have to commit to them in order to have a good time.”

“Yes, it was a bit stressful. But um, what do you mean by that last part?” Maya asks. 

“You do want to be a drummer in a band, I think. I can see it in your eyes, even if you aren't aware of your own desire.”

“Well…” Maya pauses. “I kinda wanna be in a band. But it's just… Me? Them? It doesn't work.”

“See, well, we have a solution!” Hagumi says excitedly.

Kaoru nods. “Indeed we do. Play for us.”

“Us…?” Maya repeats. 

“Our band is an ensemble of smile-makers, lead by Kokoro Tsurumaki. You must've noticed by now we are in her mansion, yes? 

“Oh, yeah, I was kinda wondering about that,” Maya says. 

“Mhm. So will you think about joining us, dear kitten?”

“Okay, wait, genuine question. What makes you think being the drummer for the wealthiest girl in town would be any less stressful than for the idol industry?”

Kaoru shrugs. “Control.”

“Huh?” 

“I believe you would have more fun in this kind of band. I have a friend in the idol industry, and it takes quite a toll on her. She's good at coping with it, as she has done so since childhood, but I would hate to see you in pain like that. Hello Happy World is a much different dynamic, full of freedom and happiness. The world of fame has its own perks, but it comes at the expense of your free will.”

Maya nods slowly, pondering Kaoru's words for a second. “I mean, that does make sense. I'm not the type who likes being told what to do and how to present myself. But still, Kokoro is extremely rich. Wouldn't that be… kind of similar?”

Hagumi shakes her head. “No way! Kokoron may be rich, but she's as down to earth as the rest of us!”

Kaoru nods silently in agreement. 

“Ah… that's good,” Maya replies. 

She would soon find out ‘down to earth as the rest of us’ really wasn't saying much. 


	4. Coffee Date

The routine monday hangout between Kanon and Chisato was going well. The birds were singing and the flowers were blooming on the back patio of Hazawa Cafe, and both girls were in good spirits. That'd probably change as soon as Chisato worked up the courage to talk about her failing career path.

“Hello, Chisato-chan!!”

This was a bad idea. Bad Chisato. Learn how to stop manipulating people, for god’s sake. As soon as she brings up the topic, Kanon is gonna hate her. She pushes the bad thoughts to the back of her head.

“Hey, Kanon. How are you?”

Turns out Chisato didn't even need to say anything risky, because Kanon did the work for her. Immediately, nonetheless.

“I'm doing well, but I wanted to talk about something to you. This really strange thing happened to me this saturday. Y’know that rich businessman’s daughter, Kokoro Tsurumaki? I saw her at the train station. She was singing, and when she saw me with my drums, she hurried over and asked if I was in a band. I told her no, and that I'm actually donating my drumkit, and she seemed so disappointed. She begged me to keep the drums. Something about them bringing smiles to people…? But anyway, she was adamant that I think twice before getting rid of them. I still have them up in my room now…”

Chisato hopes Kanon can't see her smile. God, bad Chisato. Your friend's confusion is not something to smile at, no matter how beneficial to you it is.

“Hm. Rather strange, but I think she might be looking out for you. It's funny you should mention drumming, actually. Our new band at the idol agency is in need of a drummer.”

Well, no going back now.

Kanon frowns. “Wait, I thought you already had one? I heard you and Aya-chan say she was really good, too.”

“Yes, well…” Chisato sighs. “She isn't with us anymore.”

Upon seeing Kanon’s shocked face, Chisato hurries to correct herself. “No, no, she isn't dead! Sometime last week during practice she ran out of the room in tears, saying she wasn't good enough to be in the band. She's very much alive.”

Kanon breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh, that's good! Not that she thinks she isn't good enough, but that she's still alive and well. I didn't mean--”

“Relax, Kanon. It's fine. I know what you meant.” Chisato chuckles. “Geez, you worry so much.”

“Well… I do, I guess… But it's okay. Worrying isn't that bad, really. It's better to be safe than sorry!”

Chisato smiles at how cute her friend is. Kanon, Kanon, always so adorable and sweet. Her mind wanders for just a few seconds, but it's enough to remind Chisato her guilt about her motivations for inviting Kanon out today.

Kanon tends to avoid risks at all costs, and joining Pastel Palettes would be a huge risk. Is it right for her to ask Kanon to be a part of the band? Throwing Kanon into such a chaotic situation could be drastic. Chisato feels a brief flash of guilt as she considers how she did the exact same thing to Maya without even thinking about it. She needs to be more careful this time.

“Kanon… About your drums, I was thinking maybe you could…” Chisato begins. She sees Kanon flush and feels bad. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Y-yes,” Kanon mumbles. Her expression is very reminiscent of Maya’s before asking her to join, and for a second, Chisato wavers.

“It's okay. Tell me if you need anything.”

“No, i-it's okay. Are you going to ask me to join Pastel Palettes? Because… Well, I'd have to think a lot about it. I haven't played in so long. I don't wanna mess up and ruin everyone else's chances.”

Chisato pauses briefly, trying to put her next sentence tactfully. She tends to forget exactly how intelligent her friend is, and Kanon’s quick conclusion was yet another reminder to be incredibly careful. “I… I was going to ask, yes. Eventually. But I didn't want to stress you too much. I'm… honestly glad you brought it up for me.”

Kanon smiles. “You're so silly, Chisato. Don't worry about me,” she replies softly.

“But I want to worry about you. You're my best friend. I don't like how you're always putting yourself down and acting like you don't matter. You're a great drummer, and I don't think you'll mess up,” Chisato says.

There's honesty in Chisato’s words, and they both know it. Chisato cares about Kanon, that was a fact. Chisato also happens to care about her career, but those two facts could coexist.

“Thank you, Chisato. You're always so kind to me.”

This was the last of the drumming talk for now. As the two girls continue to hang out, Chisato’s guilt slowly eases. They talk about the weather, the flowers, how Kanon’s brother has been. Tsugumi stops by at one point to ask how the scones and coffee taste, and they both tell her it tastes wonderful. Soon the light in the sky grows dim, and they're watching the sun set.

The train station is half empty as they approach the platform. Chisato turns to Kanon in order to say goodbye.

“I had fun today. And… I hope you consider what I said earlier.” Chisato manages to speak without feeling completely ashamed of herself.

“I haven't been in a band since middle school…” Kanon mumbles. “I really don't know what to do.”

“I think it'd be good for you. Y’know, that Tsurumaki girl must've appeared for a reason. This is your destiny!”

Kanon giggles. “C’mon, Chisato-chan. I know you don't believe in stuff like destiny.”

Shrugging, Chisato replies, “True. But I was hoping you might.”

Kanon’s train arrives just as Chisato finishes speaking, and she watches Kanon hop into the compartment. This is what's good for Kanon, right? Chisato isn't thinking of only herself. Drumming for Pastel Palettes would help Kanon break out of her shell and meet new people.

Or at least that's the rationalization in Chisato’s head. Kanon smiles at her and waves as the train moves away, leaving Chisato all alone with her thoughts.

  
  



	5. Reignite

As soon as the door opens, Kanon hears a familiar shriek.

“Kano-nee!” her brother shouts, running up to her and practically jumping into her arms.

“Eek!!” Kanon barely manages to catch the younger boy. “Hey, Kiri. What's up?”

“Nothin’ much! I been playing Super Smash Bros with Haruka-chan!”

Kanon looks over at the couch to see a petite brunette girl wave at her. “Oh hello, Haruka. Are you two having fun?”

Haruka nods. “Yes. Kiri-kun and I are having a tournament to see who can win as Doctor Mario the most times. I'm winning!”

“That's not true! Y’only have one more point than me!” Kiri pouts. Haruka sticks her tongue out at him in response.

“Oh, well I won't keep you waiting for your important tournament! Good luck to both of you!” Kanon says with a smile.

Kiri beams up at her and then races back to the couch to join his friend.

As Kanon walks upstairs to her room, she can hear the two middle schoolers shouting ‘boom!’ and ‘hiya!’ She smiles a bit.

That smile doesn't last very long. As soon as she reaches her bed, Kanon collapses onto it backwards, stretching out and looking up at the ceiling.

Sighing, she sits up to face her drumkit.

Kanon had conveniently avoided telling Chisato the details of what Kokoro said.

_ For all we know, your drums could rot away in a Goodwill somewhere. _

Even now, the words make Kanon shudder. Despite not playing anymore, she really did love her drums. They're what got her through middle school. Those four other girls that protected her and befriended her, despite Kanon being an outsider… They really changed her life.

Did Kokoro know how effective her words were? 

_ That's a fancy way of saying ‘getting rid of,’ right? _

Kanon never really liked rich girls, but she felt like Kokoro was completely unaware of her wealth. Not in that fake, passive-aggressive, ‘We only have one maid!’ way, but genuine non-understanding. At the same time, Kanon gets the feeling that Kokoro understands the world better than anyone else she knows.

And if Kokoro understands the longing in Kanon’s heart, she knows Kanon better than Kanon knows herself. Chisato might be right. Kokoro could be some kind of premonition, a guardian angel sent in human form. And even if Chisato doesn't believe in that kinda thing…

_ True. But I was hoping you might. _

Kanon reaches for a drumstick. She might not believe in destiny either, but she wants to. She wants to believe with all her being that Kokoro is some kinda guiding light. She wants to believe that Chisato is helping her save herself.

Carefully, almost daintily, Kanon strikes the drum.

The sound reverberates through her body, steadying her nerves and calming her mind. Kanon feels a sort of healing essence escape her drums, as silly as that seems. Is she just delusional? A tiny bit of Kanon wondered if she's going crazy, but the bigger part of her knows it doesn't matter either way.

A small voice breaks her concentration. “Kano-nee?”

Kiri is standing at the door. Haruka is behind him, peeking up at Kanon.

Kanon stares blankly for a second. “Oh! Oh, hello!” she stammers. “Sorry, did I make too much noise? I--”

“No, it's okay!” Kiri says. “I just heard ya hit your drum, an’ I had forgotten what that sounded like. Ya haven't played in a long time…”

“I-I think I'm going to play more now!” Kanon nods. “Yes, I will play more!”

“What happened? You just decided to get your drums out?” Haruka pipes up.

Kiri nods. “Yeah, I was wondering about that. Ya were dragging ‘em down to Goodwill just the other day, weren't ya?”

“I got an offer from Chisato-chan, actually. To play drums in a band at the idol agency.”

“At th’ idol agenenecy? Wow!” Kiri says excitedly. “I'm so happy for you, Kano-nee!”

“So you're just deciding this now? I think you should tell Chisato-san right away!” Haruka says.

“Oh! Yes, of course!” Kanon agrees. She flips open her phone. Taking a deep breath, she types her message.

**Kanon Matsubara: I want to meet with Pastel Palettes**

“I just texted her.”

“Good!! Shira-sama will be so proud of ya! I'm proud too, Kano-nee!” Kiri grins.

“Me too! Kano-nee is like another big sister besides Misaki! I'm really glad she's back on the drums. I know how important they are to her.”

Kiri gasps suddenly. “Oh no!! Haruka-chan, we left Smash running! What if the timer runs out?”

“It's fine. We still had four minutes left.”

“We gotta go right now!”

“Wait for me!”

Kanon smiles as the two race downstairs to continue their game. No matter what happens, Kiri and Haruka would have her back.

“I hope the other CHiSPA girls are proud of me….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me uploading chapter 5 after chapter 6 because i'm a little clown who didn't know how i wanted to write this*


	6. The Hina Chapter

Hina very much likes human beings. They're crazy, wonderful, and unpredictable, and Hina’s full attention was on human beings every waking second. 

So far there was nobody who held her attention as much as Maya Yamato did. The other Pastel Palettes girls came close, but Maya was the most interesting by far. 

Speaking of Hina and the others, the four of them gather in the practice room and the atmosphere is kinda sad. Where is Maya-chan? She's still out ‘sick’ probably, which is a shame. Hina remembers her conversation with Kaoru, and prays the charming prince had managed to sway beautiful princess Maya’s opinion. 

Even though they hadn't been together long, Hina was fascinated by the other members of Pastel Palettes. Aya-chan made all these dumb faces and yet she keeps going! She's determined to be the best idol she can, and Hina respects that about her. Eve-chan is wonderful and interesting, too! Hina is constantly amazed by how tall the Finnish girl is, and briefly wonders what it'd be like to have to stand on her tip-toes to be able to-- Now she's thinking about Chisato. 

Chisato is something of a wild card in Hina’s mind. She couldn't tell if the blonde really cared about the group or was just going along as far as her career would allow. Either way, Hina didn't mind. At the start of the audition, she told herself she'd ditch the group as soon as she stopped having fun. But it didn't look like that'd happen any time soon. Hina was having a damn good time interacting with and learning about other people. 

As for Maya… She’s timid on the outside, but has a very strong heart. Real pretty without her glasses (not as much as Eve though), pretty even with her glasses! And she is such a talented musician. Why did she think she isn't good enough to be in Pastel Palettes? Hina is left with an empty feeling that she thinks Onee-chan might call ‘sadness.’

Apparently Aya is feeling the same way. “Maya is still gone….” she pouts. 

Chisato pats her on the shoulder. “Don't worry. Perhaps a solution for that will come soon, Aya-chan.”

Before Aya can ask what the heck that means, one of the agency's staff walks into the room. Oh, well timed. Hina is impressed. 

“Maya-san still hasn't shown up for work. We've tried contacting her but to no avail. For the time being, you all will continue to practice your instruments with a pre-recorded backing track. It's not ideal, but it'll have to do until we can get Maya-san back or find a new drummer.”

The staff member leaves just as soon as he entered. Chisato opens her mouth to speak but then closes it as she sees him walk out the door. Then, deciding to say something after all, she mumbles, “What a shame…”

“I know, it really sucks.” Eve says. “But we gotta keep Maya in our samurai hearts and pray for her happiness! Even if it won't be with us, I know she'll be okay!”

Hina’s epic gal pal smiles in a really cute and boppin’ way and Hina feels like when she sees a cool item in a storefront but in a totally different way, y’know? Like Eve is way totally more important than some dumb trinket!! And her heart is beating way too fast but that doesn't happen when she sees a cute dress or hat. 

Eh, whatever. That's fun, right? Unexplainable emotions are a part of being human. And Hina has never felt more human in her life. 

The rest of practice melts away like a sad dream. They didn't talk about Maya any more, but you could tell everyone missed her. Their dance moves just didn't feel energetic, and as Aya put it, ‘nobody sparkled like usual.’

Soon Hina is approaching the front door to her home, wanting to forget about the troubles the band was having. Maybe she could melt her brain with some Minecraft. 

After running by Sayo and shouting a quick greeting, Hina plops down at her computer to play something. But it doesn't happen. She just kinda stares at the screen dejectedly. 

She's still worried about Maya. Hina frowns. Maybe she should go talk to Lisa about the situation. She's working this time of day, right? That's fine, Hina wanted to go buy Nutella™©® anyway. 

“Onee-chan, can I pleaseee walk down to the convenience store?”

“Okay, sure,” Onee-chan says. 

Hina grins and bounces out the door. Wow, Sayo-chan-onee-sama sure is nice to let her walk to the store! Not that Hina had much reason to believe Sayo wouldn't let her, or that Sayo was particularly against Hina going places. Sometimes that was how Hina just vibed with it. But now that she's walking, the fresh air clears her head and she tries to think of ways to help Maya. 

Maya-chan should be more confident in herself, Hina thinks. She's timid and shy but she's pretty and smart and skillful too. Maya-chan reminds Hina of her own Onee-chan a little bit, extremely driven and intelligent but in denial of it. 

Now that she thinks about it, Sayo and Maya are pretty similar. Why do smart, pretty girls always hate themselves? Maybe societal pressure causes stuff like this because of unrealistic, contradictory expectations for women. But then Hina sees a dog walking down the street and that entire train of thought crashes out the side of her brain.

“Heyyy Chisato-chan!” Hina shouts. “Wait up!” She dashes forward and begins to scratch Leon’s head while talking quickly at her friend. “How's it going? 

Chisato smiles sickly sweet and Hina can't tell if the queasiness in her stomach is justified. “Oh, hello, Hina-chan. How are you? How's your sister? 

“Onee-Sayo-chan is doing well. So am I! Are you?”

“That's good. And I'm fine, thank you. Is there anything I can do for you?” Chisato asks with that fake, sugary smile. 

Hina nods. “Oh, definitely! What you said today in practice was interesting. I wanna know more!”

Chisato looks almost genuinely curious now. “About what?” 

Hina repeats Chisato’s words verbatim. “You said perhaps a solution for that will come soon, Aya-chan!”

“Oh, it's not much. I have a… friend who played drums in middle school. She might be able to help us.” The way Chisato says ‘friend’ makes Hina think she has a situation similar to herself and Eve. “I've requested her to at least meet with the rest of the band and she's agreed to do so sometime next week. No guarantee she'll join, though, so I didn't want to bring it up too directly with everyone.”

“Oh, that's very awesome! I hope she likes us all. I'm really glad you've been so thoughtful and dedicated to the band.” As soon as she says it, Hina realizes there's a thing she still has to do. “Hey, Chisato-chan. I wanna… Apo? Lo? Apololo. I wanna apoloja?”

Oh no, oh no, oh no, Hina can't remember the word, and Onee-chan always says that makes it less sincere-- Ahh, her mind is going blank!!!! There's a lot of noise and chaos for an apparently blank mind, though. 

“Apologize?” Chisato offers. 

“Yes!! Apologize!” Hina agrees vehemently. Thank goodness Chisato always knows what to do! “Well, I dunno how to explain, but I always thought you'd leave us as soon as the band became inconvenient for your career. But I was totally wrong! I'm glad you're so dedicated to your bandmates, that makes me real happy. Sorry for assuming the worst about you, Chisato-chan.”

Now that the apology is out in the open air, Chisato’s smiling face is replaced by an unreadable expression. Not that Hina coulda read it anyway, oh well. “Well, thank you, Hina-chan. I had no idea you felt that way about me, but I'm glad you've changed. I'm glad we've both changed, actually.”

“Yeah!” Hina grins, and she feels the sickness in her stomach ease a little. Might take a while to trust Chisato, but now that they're both on the right track, Hina feels a lot better about the world in general. 


	7. The Hina Chapter (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> electric boogaloo

“Lisaaaa!!!”

Hina bursts into the convenience store with an unmatchable energy. She grins and rushes toward the counter, scoring some nasty looks from the customers. Oops, maybe she shouldn't be so loud.

“Lisa, Lisa! I need to tell you everything about what's happening,” Hina says, a little quieter now. Still not quiet by any stretch of the imagination, but oh well.

Lisa chuckles. “Okay. Seems like there's a lot on your mind. What's up?”

“You know how I was texting you about joining that band? Well, I did it, and everyone is really nice! There's Aya, who makes a lot of silly expressions, and Eve, who is super pretty! I think she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen! And then there's Chisato, who is really hard to read, like harder than normal! And she's the least nice but I think I was wrong about her, I had a conversation with her on the way here and she's not that bad!”

“Oh, but all that isn't important right now. The most important person is Maya! She's a studio musician, or was, I guess. She was filling in for us while the agency searched for an idol that can play drums, but she hasn't been showing up to practice. Cause Chisato messed up and said something weird to her! She asked Maya to join the band, and Maya totally freaked out!”

“Poor girl, she doesn't sound very confident,” Lisa says.

“I know! But luckily, Maya goes to our school, so I asked Kaoru-kun to have a conversation with her and bring up her confidence. I'm sure Kaoru-kun did an amazing job, but I haven't had a chance to ask her in class. But even if that fails, we have a backup plan! Chisato said she has a FRIEND who knows how to play drums.”

“Why do you say friend like that?” Lisa asks, equal parts curious and amused.

“Well, that's how Chisato said it!”

“I don't think that's quite how she said it…”

“Well, whatever. The point is she said it weird.*

Lisa nods, like ‘fair enough.’

“But how about you? I know you're in a band too. My sister refuses to talk about it, though.”

“Oh, that? It's going alright, I guess.”

“What do you mean? It's not fun?”

Lisa sighs. “Well, you know how Yukina is. Whenever something’s not perfect, she freaks out. Sometimes I feel like I'm not living up to her expectations, but I know she feels she's not living up to them either.”

“Ah, so you're really worried about her.”

“A bit, yes. We need a drummer and a keyboardist still, but there's this middle schooler that keeps trying to talk to Yukina. I think she plays the drums? Not sure. But Sayo and Yukina are having fun talking about music. So even if the band doesn't go anywhere, at least she made a new friend.”

“Do you think the band might fail?” Hina asks sadly.

“No, no! I just worry too much, y’know? Yukina wouldn't give up on her dream so easily.”

“Our bands both need drummers, huh? I guess they're hard to come by,” Hina muses.

Lisa laughs. “Yeah, I guess. But according to that middle schooler and Chisato-san, maybe we will come by them eventually.”

“Oh, speaking of Chisato, you play bass don't you? So does she! Maybe you two could hang out and practice sometime.”

“Ah, no! She's super famous, isn't she? There's no way I could practice with her!”

“Why not? I talk to her everyday, I'm sure she'd be down for it!”

“That's… well…” Lisa sighs. “I don't know how to explain, and I'm not really sure you'd get it even if I could.”

Hina shrugs. “Okay. Whatever you say, Lisa-chi!”

They talk for a little while more, about school, about Kaoru's latest shenanigans. Kaoru is so funny, isn't she? Then before Hina knows it, the sky is getting dark.

“Oh, gosh! I should be getting home so Onee-chan doesn't worry about me. Bye, Lisa!”

“Bye, Hina! Have a safe walk home!”

Hina bounces out of the convenience store and walks down the street, humming a tune that only she knows.

Lisa’s so sweet. Hina is really glad to have a friend like her. She hopes everything works out with Roselia, not only for Lisa’s sake but for Sayo-nee’s as well.

Onee-chan and Lisa are two of the most important people to Hina, with Kaoru-kun being the third. Hina briefly wonders if Kaoru is in a band too, but she almost immediately forgets the thought.

Hina is prepared for a nice game of Minecraft as soon as she gets home. But instead, she walks through the door and suddenly gasps.

“I forgot to buy Nutella!”


	8. Second Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of a good way to introduce Misaki so I just kinda threw her and Kokoro into this chapter.

“Alright, let's take it from the top!”

Hagumi's bright voice jarrs Maya out of her bleary state. They'd been practicing for the past hour and a half, and while Maya loved it, she was getting a bit tired.

Apparently Misaki was feeling the same way. “Hagumi, we've been playing for a while. Don't you think we should take a break?”

“Hmm, I guess…” Hagumi replies. For a split second, her expression looks sad. But Maya blinks and it goes away.

Maya’s first impression of Hagumi was that she's just absolutely bouncing off the walls, but as she looks a little closer, Hagumi’s smile seems a bit tired. The more she watches, the more Hagumi seems to be stressed. But her happiness is kind and warm and genuine. Maya makes a mental note to pay attention to this girl.

It's been over a week since Maya joined Hello Happy World. She's gotten acquainted with the other members by now, and she likes them all a lot.

Misaki and Kokoro are the most recent additions to the list of people Maya knows, but she already would die for both of them. Misaki is impressive, living her double life as both an average, sulky high school girl and the charming pink bear known as Michelle. Maya respects Misaki so much for that, especially since it seemed like Kaoru, Kokoro, and Hagumi didn't think they were the same person.

As for Kokoro, Maya didn't really understand her motivations, but enjoyed her bubbly personality. As opposed to Hagumi, Kokoro never let a smile slip off her face. Maya usually finds those kinds of people creepy, but Kokoro’s smile was innocent and friendly. Deep down, part of Maya knew Kokoro couldn't be happy a hundred percent of the time, but she admires the fact that Kokoro could keep that illusion on so well.

As Maya dwells in her thoughts, she doesn't notice Kaoru walking over to her. “Oh! You startled me, Kaoru-san!” she says once she finally notices the other girl. “Oh, what's that?”

Kaoru offers her a juice box. “Behold, the wine of innocence!”

“Thank you, Kaoru-san. How did you know grape juice was my favourite?”

“You just seem like a grape kinda gal,” Kaoru responds. She takes a sip of her own juice box, which appears to be fruit punch. “Ahh, what fleeting flavour…”

The band girls hang out for a while, sipping their juice and chatting.

“Alright, everyone! Practice is officially over!” Kokoro announces.

“I have to go home now?” Hagumi asks quietly. But then she perks up. “Bye, everyone! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Hagumi! Oh, tomorrow is friday! We should play board games or something!” Kokoro says.

“Hmm, I have to pick my sister up right after school tomorrow. You guys can have fun without me, though,” Misaki says.

Maya walks over to where Hagumi is packing up her bass. She wants to talk to her before she leaves.

“Hagumi-san,” Maya says.

Hagumi looks startled, but smiles. “Oh! Maa-kun, what's up?”

“Are you alright? You seemed kinda stressed during practice and I just wanna make sure everything is okay.”

“Gosh, that's so sweet of you! I'm fine, yeah.” Hagumi lowers her voice. “Um… to tell you the truth, I've been struggling with my grades lately, and my parents are kinda mad…”

“Ah, I see. What subject? I might be able to tutor you, or find someone who can.”

“Math,” Hagumi replies. “I've always been bad at it.“

“Oh, I like math! Do you mind if I help you out with your homework sometime?” Maya says.

“Um, are you sure it's okay?” Hagumi asks.

“Of course!” Maya replies.

“Okay! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Maa-kun.” Hagumi picks up her bass and slings it over her shoulder. “I better get home. See you!”

Maya watches as Hagumi exits the room. She isn't sure if her gesture was any help, but it does make her feel a bit better at least. She hopes whatever Hagumi is struggling with will be resolved soon. 


	9. A Pastel Introduction

**Chisato Shirasagi: I'll pick you up at three**

Kanon stares at her phone for the fifth time this hour. This was the day she would meet Pastel Palettes, which should be exciting. But she isn't sure how to feel. 

It's 2:46 now, so Kanon has a little bit of time to kill. But she's already taken a shower and brushed her hair, put together a nice outfit, and organized her room. That last one was wholly unnecessary, but cleaning helped Kanon cope with stress. 

Maybe she should go downstairs. Kiri might be able to calm her down. 

As she descends the staircase, she hears her brother's voice. “Kano-nee, are you leaving soon?”

“Mhm, in about ten minutes or so,” Kanon replies. She steps down off the last step, and sees her brother on the couch. 

“Good luck!!” Kiri says. “I was emailing Haruka-chan. She says good luck, and so does Misaki-san.” Kiri doesn't have his own phone, so he resorts to using Gmail on the family computer to contact his friends. 

Kanon smiles. “Thank you, Kiri.”

“Kano-nee, do you wanna play Super Smash Bros? It'll be super quick!” Kiri says excitedly. 

“Sure. Go easy on me, though. You know I'm bad at video games,” Kanon replies. 

“Okay!” 

After a round of Smash, Kanon hears the doorbell ring. 

“Is that Shira-sama?” Kiri asks. 

“Probably.” Kanon gets up and opens the door. 

Chisato is standing there with a pleasant smile. “Ready to go?”

“Wait, can I say goodbye to my brother first?”

“Of course! I might as well say hi, too.”

Kanon gestures for Chisato to come inside. 

“Shira-sama!” Kiri says. “It's been so long!” He runs up and hugs her. 

Chisato pats him on the head. “Hello, Kiri. How are you?” 

“Great! I'm super proud of Kano-nee!”

“I'm proud of her too,” Chisato replies with a smile. 

Kanon’s face flushes. “You're so sweet…” She makes eye contact with Chisato, who also starts to blush. 

Kiri giggles. “You two are silly!”

“There's nothing silly about having a best friend who cares about you,” Kanon replies. She ruffles Kiri’s blue hair. “Well, I'll see you soon, okay?”

“Bye, Kano-nee! Have fun at the agenenecy!”

Chisato also waves goodbye to Kiri, and the two girls go out the door and head down to Chisato’s car.

* * *

The glass doors to the idol agency shine in the sunlight. Chisato pulls one open with one hand, and reaches for Kanon with the other. 

Kanon hesitates before stepping through the door. But Chisato squeezes her hand reassuringly, and Kanon feels like she can take on anything. 

The elevator ride up is peaceful. Surprisingly, there wasn't the usual tacky music but an upbeat rock song. 

“Is this from a band at the idol agency?” Kanon asks. 

“No, they aren't associated with the agency at all. It's a local band. I think they're called Dayglow or something.”

Soon, the two girls are standing in front of a simple door. Kanon knows already that this is where her new music career would begin. 

Chisato pushes the door open and leads Kanon through. Sitting at a table are three other girls. 

A familiar mess of fluffy pink hair perks up. “It's nice to see you here, Kanon-chan!” Aya says. 

“Ah, Aya-chan! It's nice to see you too!” Kanon replies. They work at the fast food place together. Kanon is glad she recognizes someone here besides Chisato. 

The other two girls, however, were complete strangers. “Hello!” one of them says, a tall girl with white braids. The other one, a girl with shoulder length teal hair, doesn't speak. 

“Hey!” Kanon replies, trying to match the girl's cheerful energy. 

“Let's sit down,” Chisato suggests. The two of them sit across from each other, leaving Kanon next to the braid girl and Chisato next to Aya. 

The teal haired girl on the other side of the braid girl leans forward to look across at Kanon. “Hey, noob! What's boppin’?”

“Uh… Not much?” Kanon replies, not sure if she was supposed to feel insulted or not. 

“Don't mind Hina-chan, she's just like that,” the braid girl replies. “It's nice to meet you, Kanon-chan! Chisato-chan has told us a lot about you. I'm Eve Wakamiya!”

Kanon nods. “Nice to meet you too, Eve-chan.”

“Come on Kanon, introduce yourself,” Chisato says. 

“Ah, right! Well, I'm Kanon Matsubara… Recently I almost quit playing drums, but someone saved me. A sort of guardian angel, I guess…” Kanon squeals as she realizes she said that out loud. “Wait, I--”

“A guardian angel? That's pretty cool!” Hina says. “How boppin’ is this angel, exactly? Is she tall? Does she have glowing white hair?”

“Um…” Kanon feels like Hina is picturing someone very specific in her mind. “Not exactly, no.”

“Oh? Well that's cool too.” Hina seems content with Kanon’s answer. She glances back and forth between Kanon and Eve. 

“Ah, so I'm glad to meet you all!” Kanon says. “Is there anything else I should say?” She looks over at Chisato. 

Chisato taps a finger to her chin. “How about we play a board game or something?”

“Ch-Chisato-chan? Why?”

“It's a good way to bond.”

“I'm fine with that,” Eve says. 

“Me too!” Hina agrees. 

They decide on Apples to Apples. After a few rounds, it becomes apparent that Aya is really good at this game. 

"Wow, how'd you know I think my sister is the most extravagant thing in the world?" Hina asks. 

"Um, you always talk about her…" Aya says. 

"I think it's because you're just so in tune with Hina-chan's emotions," Chisato suggests. 

"Err, yeah! That!" Aya agrees. 

Aya proceeds to win the next seven rounds by playing each judge extremely well. 

"Ah, it sucks that Aya-chan is so good at this game!" Hina says. "Luckily, she can't win when she's the judge!" Hina slaps down a red card for 'Dangerous.'

Aya sighs. "I dunno, I feel like I'm not the best judge… All my reasons for picking things are very simple…"

"Well, you just gotta shake it up! Make it boppin'!" Hina says excitedly.

"Okay! I will make this round boppin' as possible!" Aya replies. "Are everybody's cards in?" 

The girls all nod, so Aya picks up the cards and begins to read them. 

"Uhh… Well I don't know who Rainy Zellwagger is, so I don't know if she's dangerous or not…"

"I don't know who she is either. I just thought her name sounded cool," Hina admits. 

"Valid," Kanon says softly. 

Chisato rolls her eyes. "You two have seriously never heard of Renée Ze-- Nevermind. Doesn't matter." 

Aya continues with the cards. "A scandal? Um, I guess that could be dangerous for your career, but overall I think it's probably not that bad. Chisato-chan, please don't scold me."

"I'm not going to scold you, but I will silently judge your priorities," Chisato says. 

"Well… A hurricane is pretty dangerous! You could die! But…" she takes a breath, "The most dangerous of all is true love!" 

Hina starts to giggle. "That's such an Aya-chan thing to say!" 

Aya blushes. "Huh?? I thought it was a good choice!" 

"It was a good choice. You made this round super boppin'!" 

"Okay, who put true love?" Aya asks. 

Kanon raises her hand. 

"Good job, Kanon-chan! Oh, is this your first green card?" 

"Yeah… It's because I don't know you all as well as everyone else knows each other. I'm even losing when Chisato's the judge."

"That's okay! You'll have plenty of time to get to know us!" Eve says. 

"Well, should we wrap things up?" Chisato asks. "Kanon has a green card now, so I don't feel as bad ending the game."

"I'm good with that!" Aya says, and everyone else makes noises of agreement. 

As the girls clean up their game, Aya having won by a landslide, the conversation shifts to Pastel Palettes and their prospective new member. 

"Kanon-chan, I think you'll be great for the band," Aya says. "I hope you join us. We'll have more stuff to talk about at work!" 

"Yeah, Kanon-chan seems boppin' already!" Hina says. 

“I'm glad we've found a suitable replacement for Maya-chan!” Eve says with a smile. 

_ Replacement.  _

Kanon did not like the word in the slightest. She knew Eve didn't mean it that way, but it still makes Kanon uncomfortable. Was this really a good idea? 

“I…” Kanon doesn't quite realize the words spilling out of her mouth. “Please… Don't…”

“Kanon?” Chisato asks sharply. Kanon can hear the protectiveness in her voice. 

“I'm okay, I just…” Kanon breathes deeply. “Yeah, I'm okay.”

“Alright. If you say so.” Chisato casts a worried glance in Kanon’s direction but doesn't say anything else. 

"Can we hear you play drums?" Hina asks excitedly, oblivious to Kanon's emotions. 

"I-I feel a little tired. Maybe another time," Kanon stammers. 

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Chisato asks. Kanon nods, and the two of them exit the room. 

Once they're in the hallway, Chisato reaches for Kanon's hand once again. 

Kanon takes it. "Thank you for being there for me," she says. 

Chisato simply nods with that unreadable expression of hers. 


End file.
